Playing-card-shuffling box



G. W, AEGERTER AND K. SCHLIEPMANN.

PLAYING CARD SHUFFLING BOX.

APPLICANON FILED JUNE :4. 19m

Patented Oct. 311, 1922.

K5. x 6 x 7 m 6 a W @W W mfla n w W; fl 7 5 ii Wv Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

UNITED STATES 1,434,034 PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE W. AEGERTER AND KARL SCHLIEPMANN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PLAYING-'CARD-SHU'FFLING BOX.

Application filed June 14, 1920. Serial No. 388,993.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known-that we, GUsTAvE W. AEGER- TER and KARL ScHLIEPMANN, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new anduseful Playing-Card- Shufliing Box, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to means for shuffling playing cards, and, has for its object the provision of a box structure for receiving av deck of playing cards to be shuffled,

which box is provided with means for shuffling the cards when reciprocating movement is imparted thereto by hand.

Further objects of the invention are toprovide the box with a floorof several inclinations to form card stacking sections at either end of the bo'x-and intermediate card shufiling surfaces. The box is further provided with a card separating bridge arranged intermediate the shufiling floor and the top wall of the box.

With the above and other objects in view,-

the invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and finally pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1, is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of our improved card shuffling box.

Fig. 2, is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3, illustrates diagrammatically the movements of the box for shuffling the cards placed therein.

Fig. 4, illustrates a further movement of the box for shuffling the cards.

In carrying out the aim of our present invention, we employ a suitable box like receptacle, or housing 1 having a door 2, hinged as at 3 to one end of thebox and the top wall 4 of the box is preferably provided with a sight opening 5. A suitable catch fastener 6 holds the door 2 in its closed position.

The shufliing box is provided with a floor having the inclined stacking section 7, at one end of the box, and the inclined stacking section 8, at the opposite end of the box, the latter stacking section being preferably of a greater inclination than the stacking section designated 7.

The inclined stacking sections 7 and 8 are connected by means of the intermediate inclined shufliing sections 9, 10, 11 and 12.

shufliing sections 10 and 11 are adapted to direct the cards upwards just prior to stacking at either end of the box, as is manifest.

A suitable card separating bridge 13 is arranged transversely of the box at a suitable elevation directly above the lowest ends of the inclined sections 10 and 11, as clearl shown in Fig. 1. It will here be observed: that the bridging member 13 will cause some of the cards to travel over the bridge and some under the bridge in their movement from stacking section 7 to stacking section 8. In the movement of the playing cards from stacking section 8 to stacking section 7, it is evident that the cards will all return under the bridge, but, owing to the inclined section 12, the cards do not return and stack up on section 7 in the same order they leave section 8 as the upper cards on section 8 will land on section 7 before the lower cards have had time to be transferred from section 8 to section 7 The inclined sections 10 and 11 cause the last cards to be stacked, to be directed into the cards being stacked similar to the shufliing of the cards by hand.

The movement of the boxfound best for the shufliingbf the cards, is as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

After the playing cards A have been placed upon the inclined stacking section 7 through the door 2, the player or operator gives the box a few quick movements back and forth in a curved path, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3, and then changes the movements by giving the box a few quick reciprocating movements in a horizontal path, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4:. The above movements of the shuffling box are continued for a short period and thoroughly shufiies the playing cards. After the cards have been shufiled, they are removed through the door 2, as is manifest.

A suitable deadener, such as a hair, or felt pad, or lining 14 is preferably, although not necessarily, fixed to the inner face of the. door 2 and a like linin 15 is fixed to the inner face of theopposite end wall 16 of the shuffling box. A suitable and similar lining 17 may also be fixed to the upper face of the inclined stacking section 7, which has a tendency to slightly retard the getaway movement of the lower playing cards, as is manifest.

18 indicates a suitable filler, such as hair, cotton, felt, or the like, which is interposed between the card shuffiing floor and the bottom wall 19 of the shufiling box. The filler 18, it will be observed, will also act as a deadener to silence the noise of the cards during their shufiiing movements. It is evident that the card shuffling floor of the shuf-. fling box may be made solid, if so desired.

The cards are preferably placed in the shuffling box with the backs thereof to the top of the box so that the shufliing movements of the cards can be observed through the opening 5 and the faces of the cards not observed.

It is evident from the foregoing description that playing cards can be effectively shuffled by women, or other parties not eflicient in the shuffling of playing cards, and, that when cards are shufiled in a box of the class herein-described that cheating by the shufller is eliminated as he cannot keep track of the location of any of the cards.

The many advantages of the herein described invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

We do not wish to be understood as having limited ourselves to the specific details of construction shown and described, but desire to have it understood that the invention we have shown in the drawings, is merely illustrative, as it is manifest that various minor changes may be made in the exact construction and particular arrangements of several parts without departing from the spirit of our invention, hence we reserve the right to make any such changes, or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claim when fairly construed.

What we claim is:

A card shufiler comprising a box having a floor provided with various inclinations within which the cards may be allowed to slide from end to end for shufiling same, and a card separating bridge disposed at an incline intermediate the two highest elevations of the floor and above the same to divide the cards when moving in one direction so the cards will pass above and below the bridge and to prevent division of the cards during their movement in the opposite direction causing all of the cards to pass under the bridge.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names to the specification.

GUSTAVE W. AEGERTER. KARL SCHLIEPMANN. 

